One Tiny Miracle: Branded with his Baby / The Baby Bump / An Accidental Family

He lifted a hand in farewell and she quickly backed away from him, then headed the nose of her truck down the rocky drive.

The urge to watch her drive away clawed at Quint, but he forced himself to turn in the direction of the barn. Her unexpected visit was over, he told himself. More than likely she wouldn’t return to the Golden Spur. And that was for the best.

The Diamond D thoroughbred ranch was located in a stretch of valley known as the Hondo Valley, a rich, fertile area where ranchers raised cattle and horses, and farmers tended acres of fruit orchards. To the north and south of the Donovan ranch house, desert mountains jutted starkly toward the sky, while in-between, irrigated meadows grew seas of knee-deep grass. The three-mile graveled track leading to the house split through one of those lush meadows and Maura drove slowly as she watched a herd of mares frolic with their colts behind a white board fence. Closer to the road, tall Lombardy poplars edged the long drive and towered like green spires into a sky as blue as Quint Cantrell’s eyes.

A rueful grimace touched Maura’s mouth as she steered her truck to a stop in front of the huge house built of native rock trimmed with rough cedar. She’d driven to the Diamond D this afternoon for a quick hello to her parents, whom she’d not seen in several weeks. This was hardly the time to be thinking about the young rancher with sky-blue eyes. In fact, no time was a good time to let her mind dwell on the man, Maura told herself. But for the past three days, since she’d visited his ranch, daydreaming about Abe’s grandson was all that she seemed to be doing.

After letting herself in, Maura passed through a long foyer and was entering a formal great room, when Regina, a tall, middle-aged woman with short, brown hair, appeared through an open doorway.

The woman spotted her immediately and gave her a little wave. “Well, look who’s here! Are you lost or something?”

Chuckling, Maura hurried across the room to kiss the woman’s cheek. For the past twenty years Regina had worked as a maid for the family. To the Donovans she was as much a part of the family as the six children were.

“I had a few chores to do in town,” Maura explained. “So I thought I’d drive out and let everyone know I’m still alive. Are my parents home? And Grandmother?”

Reggie snagged a hold on Maura’s shoulder and turned her toward the rear section of the house. “Fiona’s here. But Doyle drove your grandmother to Ruidoso for a visit with the dentist.”

“Oh, shoot,” Maura practically wailed, then sighed with resignation. “I should have called beforehand.”

Reggie said, “Well, the dentist visit was unexpected. Kate bit down on a piece of hard candy and chipped a tooth. Doyle practically twisted his mother’s arm to make her go have it examined.”

At age eighty-three, Kate Donovan was still in great health and just independent enough to think she didn’t need anyone taking care of her. Maura had always admired her grandmother’s spunk, especially after Arthur, her husband and Maura’s grandfather, died eight years ago. Since then Kate hadn’t waned or whined. She’d continued to have an input into the ranch her husband had founded more than forty years ago.

By now Maura and the maid had reached a point in the hallway where a wide opening led into a huge family room. With a flick of her hand, Reggie gestured toward the opening.

“Fiona is still in there, I think. Would you like me to bring in some fresh coffee, Maura? And I think Opal did some baking.”

Maura smiled gratefully at the woman. “You’re wonderful, Reggie. That would be great.”

Moments later, as Maura stepped into the long room, she spotted her mother sitting at a small desk. Even from several feet away, Fiona’s beauty radiated like a full bloomed rose. Her hair, threaded with silver, was still mostly black and wrapped in an elegant chignon at the back of her neck. A pair of dark slacks and pale pink blouse enhanced her slender figure.

Maura couldn’t imagine looking so wonderful at fifty-nine years of age, especially after giving birth to six children and raising them to adulthood. But then Maura couldn’t imagine herself with even one child. To have a family, she first needed a man. And after being so careful and turning down dates in her twenties, she’d done a miserable job when she’d chosen Gil.

Fiona must have heard her footsteps on the tile because she suddenly looked up from her work.

“Maura! Darling!”

The other woman put the ledger aside and rose to her feet. Maura hurried toward her mother’s outstretched arms. After a brief hug, Fiona stepped back and gave her daughter a thorough glance. “My gracious! You look so rested and pretty! And that dress—I’ve never seen you wear anything like it.”

For the first time in ages, Maura had felt a bit daring this morning. Instead of her usual jeans and blouse, she’d pulled a halter-styled sundress from her closet. The flowery fabric exposed Maura’s back and arms and revealed a hint of cleavage. No doubt her mother was wondering about this new flirtatious image. Especially since Maura was considered the most reserved of the Donovan sisters and usually dressed the part.

“It’s very warm out today,” she said in a dismissive way, then took her mother by the hand and drew her down on a long couch upholstered in red suede.

“Your father and grandmother are at the dentist’s office,” Fiona explained. “They should be back well before dinner. Do you plan to stay?”

Having dinner with her big, boisterous family was probably just the thing Maura needed to get Quint Cantrell from her mind. But Abe would be looking for her to return soon and though he didn’t demand her company every minute of the night and day, she wanted to get back to Apache Wells before a late hour.

“Not tonight, Mother. Abe will be expecting me.”

Fiona grimaced. “You told me the man wasn’t that ill. Surely you could be away for one evening,” she argued. “Aren’t there other people on the ranch who could watch out for him?”

Maura bit back a sigh. She wasn’t in the mood to defend her job to her mother. She didn’t want to have to explain to Fiona that her fondness for Abe was only part of the reason she’d chosen to live and work on Apache Wells. The problems she’d endured at the hospital with Dr. Weston were something she’d only shared with her sister Bridget. And she’d only discussed the matter with her because Bridget was a doctor and understood the nuances of medical life.

Before Maura had taken the job with Abe, Bridget had advised her to tell Dr. Weston to take his tacky flirting and go jump in the lake. And Maura had attempted to do that. Only in a nicer way. He’d not gotten the message and as Maura had contemplated Abe’s offer, she’d decided that even if Dr. Weston had gotten the message and quit pursuing her, the awkwardness of being around him would remain.

Face it, Maura, you jumped at Abe’s offer because you’re afraid to deal with men. Because you’re too much of a chicken to think about the dating game or confronting a man that might want you in a romantic way. You knew that you could hide on Apache Wells. Hide from men and your own failure as a woman.

The mocking voice inside her caused Maura to instinctively stiffen her spine. Maybe taking the job with Abe had been an escape for her. But since then she’d developed deep feelings for Abe and he’d become an important part of her life. To Maura, that alone was enough to justify her job.

“Tonight isn’t a good time, Mother. But I’ll make a point to come out for supper soon. I promise.”

Thankfully, Fiona didn’t press the issue and after Reggie arrived with coffee and homemade pralines, their conversation turned to Maura’s siblings and other happenings within the Donovan family.

A little more than an hour later, Maura bade her mother goodbye and was walking through the foyer to leave the house when her younger sister suddenly popped through the door.

“Maura!”

“Bridget!”

Both women laughed as their names came out in unison.

“Okay, you first, big sister,” Bridget said. “What are you doing here?”

Maura gave her younger sister a brief hug. “I could ask the same of you. Aren’t you working today?”

Bridget, who was somewhat shorter than Maura and had flaming copper hair, grinned in naughty fashion. “S-s-shh. I’m supposed to be back at the clinic by now. But I made a house call not far from here and I thought I’d stop by for a few minutes and see what I can swipe from the kitchen.”

“Opal just made pralines,” Maura told her.

“Sugar. That’s not what I need,” she said while patting a hand on her waist, then her green eyes sparkled as she took a closer look at Maura.

“My, my.You’re looking sexy today. What’s the occasion? Trying to give old Mr. Cantrell a heart attack or something?”

“Bridget! You’re awful! You shouldn’t be allowed to practice medicine!” Maura scolded.

Bridget laughed and Maura wondered how it would feel to be able to really laugh, to look at life with the same fun and excitement she’d once had. Perhaps if she’d been smart enough to avoid men entirely, the way her little sister had, she’d still be a happy woman.

“I’ve had a few patients tell me that very thing,” she confessed with another chuckle.

Maura started to scold her again, but the cell phone in her purse suddenly rang. Quickly, she fished out the small instrument and was faintly surprised to see the caller was Abe.

“Excuse me for a moment, Bridget. I’d better take this.”

Bridget lingered in the foyer while Maura exchanged a few brief words with the man. Once she’d ended the call, Bridget looked at her with concern.

“What’s the matter? Who was that? You’ve gone pale.”

As her sister shot questions at her, Maura slowly put the phone back in her handbag.